Solar cells and solar cell modules convert sunlight into electricity. Traditional solar cell modules are typically comprised of polycrystalline and/or monocrystalline silicon solar cells mounted on a support with a rigid glass top layer to provide environmental and structural protection to the underlying silicon based cells. This package is then typically mounted in a rigid aluminum or metal frame that supports the glass and provides attachment points for securing the solar module to the installation site. A host of other materials are also included to make the solar module functional. This may include junction boxes, bypass diodes, sealants, and/or multi-contact connectors used to complete the module and allow for electrical connection to other solar modules and/or electrical devices. Certainly, the use of traditional silicon solar cells with conventional module packaging is a safe, conservative choice based on well understood technology.
Drawbacks associated with traditional solar module package designs, however, have limited the ability and financial rationale to install large numbers of solar panels in a cost-effective manner. Unfortunately, traditional solar modules come with a great deal of redundancy and excess equipment cost. For example, a recent installation of conventional solar modules in Pocking, Germany deployed 57,912 monocrystalline and polycrystalline-based solar modules. This meant that there were also 57,912 junction boxes, 57,912 aluminum frames, untold meters of cablings, and numerous other components. These traditional module configurations are also constrained by conventional design methodology that limit the modules to certain materials and inherit a large number of legacy parts. This combination of high material cost and conventional design hamper the ability of installers to rapidly and cost-efficiently deploy solar modules at a large scale.
Although subsidies and incentives have created some large solar-based electric power installations, the potential for greater numbers of these large solar-based electric power installations has not been fully realized. There remains substantial improvement that can be made photovoltaic modules that can greatly reduce their cost of manufacturing, increase their ease of installation, and create much greater market penetration and commercial adoption of such products, particularly for large scale installations.